Key West or Bust

 

We left Carrabelle on February 26th bound for Tarpon Springs and the Florida Keys. We were joined on the first leg by our daughters and their oldest sons ages 6 and 9. As luck would have it the wind was not cooperating. So, out came the old iron genny for 148 miles. While it wasn't the trip I had envisioned for the kids it was at least comfortable. Perhaps next time we will get some sailing in. 

 

We arrived in Tarpon Springs on Sunday afternoon and moored at the Tarpon Springs City Marina. My brother was supposed to drive down with my daughter's car so they would have a ride back. He would then continue on to Key West with us. As luck would have it this time, I was filling out the sign in sheet at the marina and he taps me on the shoulder. So that did it for our current crew, they all abandoned us for the walk down Greek Street! Ah, but that was ok because we needed a few minutes to organize and clean things up a bit.

 

Since this was their first time in Tarpon Springs and we didn't really have a lot of time we tried to get them to see it all. I guess you could see it all in an afternoon. Later of course we ate at Louis Pappas. We always enjoy dining there.

 

On Monday we said our good-byes and departed Tarpon for Dry Tortugas. As we left the river and set sail we angled southwest of Anclote key and headed off shore about 4 or 5 miles. The first six hours or so were a bit rolley but since the wind stayed up some we managed to stay at 4 to 5 knots. We traversed the Tampa Bay channel early in the morning. There were many ships anchored awaiting the pilot, I suppose. We did have one incident with a tug towing a barge with an 800' line. Very difficult to negotiate as the barge had only running lights and it was close to the anchored shipping. Needless to say, we made it.

 

Tuesday, February 29th we were well south and going for the Dry Tortugas. The wind was great and sailing was as it should be. Everyone was standing 2 on 4 off watches but we were still tired.

 

Wednesday, March 1st we were approaching the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson. This is really an awesome sight to see in the middle of a huge body of water. There were around 12 to 15 other sailboats anchored here although, still plenty of room for us. We stayed through Wednesday and departed on Thursday morning for Key West.

 

As luck would have it we motored the entire way to Key West stopping Thursday night around midnight to anchor off Boca Grande. We arrived in Boca Chica on Friday morning. Boca Chica is the sight of the a Naval Air Station and seems to be used a lot for training. There were C2s, AEWs and F18s doing continuos take offs and landings. It was quite noisy as they usually stopped for supper and then at 10:00 PM for the evening.

 

Key West was well, Key West. This time we didn’t' go downtown to the old district as I'm sure it hasn't changed. We did have lunch on Sunday at the Half Shell Raw Bar which is a neat but expensive place, as are most eateries in Key West. Gas was 1.69 9/10ths for the cheap stuff…. We did manage to shop at the commissary on the base and this proved to be quite a savings on food.

 

We left Boca Chica on Tuesday morning again under power. After motoring most of the day we stopped at the Newfound Harbor channel, about 20 miles for Marathon. On Friday we arrived in Marathon and anchored in Boot Key Harbor. There are probably 100+ boats anchored here. Boats of every conceivable make and type.

 

After being in Marathon for 6 days we were ready to leave. The winds were still blowing around 20 knots but after being pent up with all the other boats I was ready to leave. We picked up anchor around 1500 and motored outside to anchor for the night. I didn't want to pick up two anchors in the morning before I had my breakfast. We finally departed on Wednesday morning to yet another breeze day. As we motored East around Boot Key, we proceeded to get beat around by the wind and seas. The seas were just off the nose, of course, and kicking up to 3 and 4 feet. This made for some miserable conditions and a weary trip. We decided to do the inside route to Fiesta Key and made a 180 for the bridge. When we turned around we put out the Stay'sl and motor/sailed at 7.5 knots. This was immediately a command decision. We spent the next 5 hours motor/sailing the inside route. While the winds were still 20 to 25 knots the seas were almost flat. We arrived at Fiesta Key around 1630 and anchored for the night.

 

The following morning saw the same windy conditions. We were content to stay anchored for the day however, my reckless ambitions persuaded my first mate to pull anchor and sail north. We left the anchorage around noon. Motoring out Channel 5 we put the sails up and briskly sailed away toward Rodriguez Key. The seas were 3 to 5 foot from the starboard quarter, that's the right side of the boat sort of looking backwards. We arrived at Rodriguez Key around 6:00 PM. Almost as soon as we anchored the wind died and the water was almost like a mirror.

 

As the sun peeked over the horizon we were underway again. This time heading to Ft Lauderdale. We motorsailed  up Hawks Channel which is a somewhat loosely defined channel inside the reef in somewhat shallower waters. The winds never picked up beyond 5 knots so it was a long day! We finally arrive in Ft Lauderdale at 9:30 PM and anchored at Las Olas Bight just beside the Las Olas bridge.

 

Our final leg of this journey was to Delray Beach. We left the next day around 9:00 AM under rather uncertain skies. This part of the journey was in the waterway surrounded by multi-million dollar homes. We arrive at our destination around 4:00 PM and were ready for boat drinks!

 

Due to unscheduled visits home we stayed in Delray for two weeks. During this time we stayed at the home of friends who were most gracious and to whom we are deeply indebted. We salute you Bill, Maria, Charlie and Carol!

 

The Crossing

 

Our last night April 8th, in Ft Lauderdale was spent preparing to get underway. We awoke on Saturday morning around 5:00 AM and prepared to leave the mooring. After all was stowed and breakfast was finished, we departed the mooring at 5:45 AM. There was a light breeze, around 5 to 7 knots from the southeast. This was not the best wind for our crossing but, it was a fairly light wind and so long as it was south of east or west it was OK to go. We made one last and final stop at the Ft Lauderdale Marina to get fuel. By 6:45 we were underway again. We were under the final bridge, 17th Street Causeway Bridge at 7:05 AM. There is a new bridge, which opened on Thursday. Its new height is 58 feet. We were calling the bridge tender for an opening and she finally submitted that we could get under without an opening after obtaining our mast height. The bridge tenders are mostly courteous and helpful but the one at the 17th Street Causeway Bridge generally was NOT!

 

Our original plans were to proceed directly to the island of Grand Bahama, check into customs and immigration and go to the Abacos Islands. This changed when I learned I would not be able to renew my HAM (amateur radio) license at any place other than Nassau without mailing it in. Since mail to and from the Bahamas is pretty slow, talk about snail mail; needless to say we were off to Nassau.

 

As we cleared the jetties it was apparent this would not be an easy crossing, however it was not going to be the worst we've been in either. Seas were running 2 to 4 feet. Our course was to be 117º(T)[1] however due to the effects of the Gulf Stream we were forced to steer 155º(M)[2]. This posed an interesting dilemma, as we were not making very good time. We were at times doing 5 and 6 knots however, as we got more into the axis of the Gulf Stream we were at times doing zero! Our first destination when we crossed the Stream was to be Bimini. As the late afternoon shadows began to show it became apparent that we would not make Bimini by any reasonable period of daylight. We have long since reckoned with the fact that we would not make any ports in the Bahamas in darkness or even twilight. So, plan B[3] was put into effect, head for the Berry Islands and Chub Cay[4]. Even though this meant a long overnight voyage it was by far the safest.

 

We continued motorsailing as we had done since we left Ft Lauderdale. Around 1:30 AM the scheduled weather front became apparent. The winds kicked up to around 25 to 30 knots without much in between. Fortunately we had reefed the main before nightfall and were not in any danger due to high winds. Also, being on the Grand Bahama Bank meant shallow water, around 12 feet, which helped considerably in keeping the seas down to 3 feet and less. As I came on watch around 2:00 AM the winds were really blowing well. This was sailing weather! Even though we were doing 5 knots under main and motoring I couldn't resist the temptation to kill the "Iron Genny[5]" and sail. So, without hesitation I rolled out the stay'sl[6], killed the engine and sailed off at around 6.5 to 7.5 knots. We reached 7.9 at one time! Wow! This was exhilarating! We reached the Northwest Providence Channel light around 9:00 AM and proceeded through ahead of a fishing boat. By 11:00 we were tied up to the dock in Chub Cay Marina. Marie was at the helm when we entered the marina and performed a flawless docking maneuver, her first!

 

Checking into customs and immigration is a relatively painless ordeal. You present you ship papers, passenger ids such as passports, declare any guns and provide serial numbers along with a count of the number of rounds of ammo and pay the $100.00. This is the fee for boats entering the Bahamas and includes up to four passengers, with a cruising permit and fishing license for one year. It took longer for the customs officer to appear than for the paperwork to be completed. After checking into the Bahamas we decided to stay at the marina for the night. We were pretty tired and wanted a good night's sleep before continuing on to Nassau.

 

The following morning, Monday we proceeded on to Nassau. As we left the marina and broke the protection of the island the wind and seas began to build. The wind was East-Northeast by this time at 20 knots. Seas were running from 3 to 8 (eight) feet. The only thing that kept us from turning around was that the seas were more off the beam and we were making 5 and 6 knots motorsailing. We anchored in Nassau around 6:00 PM from a long and tiring crossing. I don't believe I've ever seen so much water come over the bow of the Sun Seeker.

 

We continue to be anchored in Nassau harbor and its going on a week and a half. Although we plan to leave on Saturday, these plans could change. Nassau is a beautiful place to visit but I really didn't want to stay this long. Yesterday, April 19th we wandered downtown Nassau and did a little shopping. The straw market is a really neat place to visit. You have to constantly say no until you see something you want. Then barter! They expect it and you can save a dollar or two. We ate Conch Fritters, something akin to hushpuppies but with conch, at a place called Lum's Iguana Bar & Grill. This place is upstairs on the main street in smack downtown Nassau and has most reasonable prices. The view is quite nice also as you're looking down at all the shoppers on the sidewalks.

 

Today, April 20th we went to the laundry first thing. There is a Laundromat called "The Pond Wash." They charge $1.00 a load to Wash and the same to dry. This is an excellent buy anywhere but especially here. We then took the bus to a discount grocery, Solomon's wholesale, sort of like SAM'S but without membership qualifications. This was easy and a great place to find. In fact is just across the street from the Marathon Mall. We're getting to know our way around Nassau quite well.

 

Oh, and as for my HAM license, well the government is in the process of changing the licensing power from BATELCO[7] to the Public Utilities Commission however, they are not yet set up to handle this therefore, no license, YET! I haven't given up but it is most frustrating!

 

Berry Islands, Bahamas - 2000

 

We begin our Berry Islands cruise from Nassau. Charlie and Carol Porretto from Tallahassee joined us in Nassau for this next cruise. They spent a week enjoying the islands and flew out from Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. Of course before departing Nassau we took them to Atlantis, a huge resort with a fabulous aquarium. This is a must see for anyone visiting Nassau.

 

The Berry Islands are located north of Nassau approximately 35 miles. This is a rather small chain of islands, perhaps the smallest in the Bahamas. From top to bottom no more than 30 miles. About half way there Charlie caught a barracuda. Normally we don't eat this fish but due to its size we were enticed into its delicacy. We entered the Berrys at Little Harbour Cay. We picked this cay because it was recommended in our Cruising Guide. There is a restaurant on the top of a hill where we drank a beer and watched the sun set. I think the word is "beautiful".

 

The next day we picnicked on a beach, snorkeled and found two conch. That evening we dinghyed to Flo's restaurant for the sundown beer and cigar. Ah, life is great! The restaurant is named for the owner's mother. His name is Chester Darville, very friendly and informative.

 

The following day we motor sailed to White Cay, about 4 miles. We didn't want to spend all our time underway. White Cay is located about midway up the Berrys and an excellent place to anchor and enjoy the beaches and waters. We collected firewood on the beach for a possible bonfire that evening. I put out a call to the two other boats anchored about a half mile off and invited them to join us. We all met on the beach around 8:30 and commenced lighting the fire. One of the boats was from Canada. The owners were originally from Denmark however migrated to Canada. The other boat was from Germany. I must admit, the Canadians/Danes were much less egotistical than the German(s).

 

We departed White Cay the following day for another day sail to Little Stirrup Cay. This cay is leased by the Norwegian Cruise line and is unofficially named "Cocoa Cay". We romped around here for a day. There are lots of flats that uncover during low tide. We found one with lots of mounds and named them booby flats. Sort of an oxymoron! 

 

The next morning we were underway at 5:30 as we had a long, 59-mile voyage to Lucaya, Grand Bahama. While most of the trip was uneventful we did manage to catch an edible Barracuda. We arrived in Lucaya around 4:00 PM. Charlie managed to conjure up a fish stew and some fried fish fingers a la Cajun style. Charlie is an excellent cook! He still has Cajun in his blood so it was nice and spicy, delicious!

 

Charlie and Carol left us on Monday and this ended our Berry Islands adventure.

 

Abacos, Bahamas Cruise - 2000 

 

Our Abacos trip begins from Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island. We departed Lucaya on May 11th for West End, Grand Bahama Island. This was a rather boring trip of about 30 miles. We had intended to anchor off West End and then transit the channel to the shoals the next morning. However, due to poor holding on the bottom at West End and our exposure to the West we decided to transit onto the Little Bahama Bank and anchor near the Barracuda Shoals light for the night.

 

We were underway to Great Sale Cay by 7:15 the next morning after an uneventful night anchored in 6 feet of water on the bank three miles from the nearest settlement, West End. By 4:00 PM we were anchoring at Great Sale Cay. This is a rather long island with ruins of habitants long having left. Whoever they were, they left ruins of large fuel tanks and foundations of homes quite large. We decided to stay at Great Sale an extra day, as we really weren't in a hurry. Besides, it was time to move to island time! This gave us time to explore the ruins and look for those Japanese fish balls we had heard about laying about the island. Of course, we couldn't find any but had a wonderful picnic amidst the ruins.

 

On May 14th we were again underway, this time for Carters Cay, Abacos. Carters Cay are the site of ruins from U.S. Missile tracking facilities. Bahamians who are squatting now inhabit these ruins. They take a dim view of your touring their homesteads. So, we decided to forgo the self-guided tour and did some fishing. Upon anchoring at Carters Cay we were greeted by another Morgan 41 O/I owner, Ernie Johnson.  He came over with a couple of three beers. After talking we discovered we knew each other through phone calls about our boats, as they are identical! Small world. Their boat is named Sylvia Ann after Ernie's wife Sylvia Ann! We fished, ate and cleaned conch for two days. One day Ernie and Sylvia brought us back a large; about 36" Barracuda that we traded to the conch fisherman for a gallon bag of cleaned ready to eat conch! This was great! We were also able to catch a yellow tail snapper for one meal!

 

Ahhh! Life is good!

 

We departed Carters for Allans-Pensacola Cays on May 16th around 9:00 AM. We anchored at Allans-Pensacola at  1:10 PM after a long sail, about four hours. Love those long sails from cay to cay! We explored around the north end for a while and decided to leave the next day for Green-Turtle Cay. We'll go back there next year perhaps and do some more exploring.

 

We left Allans-Pensacola for Green-Turtle on May 17th around 9:15AM and arrived at Green Turtle at around 2:30 PM. Another long day…Green Turtle Cay is composed of a few settlements the largest of which is New Plymouth. This is one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas and dates back to the 17 hundreds. It is also one of the cleanest and prettiest settlements we have been to.

 

Our next stop from Green Turtle was Marsh Harbour. We left on the 19th at 7:51 AM and arrived in Marsh Harbour at 1:05 PM. One thing good about Marsh Harbour is the holding on the bottom in the harbour. We have been told that several boats anchored here during hurricane Floyd gave up trying to retrieve their anchors as they were dug down so deep and literally could not be found. Our friends Tom and Anne Watry from Atlanta joined us on May 22nd for eight days.

 

On May 23rd we departed for Hope Town which is about 8 miles from Marsh Harbour. Hope Town has an historic lighthouse, which we climbed. The view was spectacular. The Atlantic on the East and Abaco sound on the West. Hope Town sits on the island of Elbow Cay and runs about 4 miles in length. I'll try to add some pictures on my web page late of this beautiful view and lighthouse. We stayed at the Hope Town Marina where we enjoyed swimming in their pool and relaxing around the bar and docks.

 

The next day saw us sailing to Man-O-War Cay. This is a very religious community as may be evidenced by the lack of alcohol sales throughout the community. Man-O-War is known for its boat building. This was another short sail of about 5 miles. Man-O-War has a very narrow entrance, approximately 30 to 40 feet wide. We walked about the community and enjoyed the scenery and friendly people.

 

On Thursday we were underway again for Green-Turtle Cay. This was the longest trip of all, a total of 22 miles. One of the nice things about the Abacos is you don't have to go far to find refuge and beautiful anchorages. I won't elaborate on Green Turtle again however we wanted Tom and Anne to experience it as we did. This is where we joined up the Ed and Cheryl Byers of the s/v Ladybug. We stayed another day in Green-Turtle Cay and stocked up on beer, not the cheapest place to buy beer. For you folks in the states who think $12.00 or $16.00 are high for beer, try $32.00 a case! Ouch! Needless to say I drink a lot of rum as it's born here and is cheap!

 

On Friday we departed Green Turtle for Baker's Bay which is on the North end of Great Guana Cay. This was once again a beautiful area for snorkeling and beaches. Baker's Bay is the site of a once elaborate beach village built by a cruise line and then abandoned. It is now just ruins but you can walk through and see that it was quite an elaborate village.

 

Saturday morning we left for Great Guana Beach resort. We were actually going to a place called Nippers. They advertise a pig roast every Sunday so in the interest of keeping tourism alive and well we decided to give it a whirl. Nipper's is built atop a huge sand dune overlooking the Atlantic ocean. I have to say the view is spectacular! There is a reef running the length of the island maybe 100 yards offshore. Many boats were anchored for snorkeling. Oh, the pig roast must have been a big success as the tickets were sold out so we opted for hamburgers. They were fantastic! So with our bellies full and much beer behind us we returned to the boat. After another peaceful evening and camaraderie we retired for the night.

 

On Monday we returned to Marsh Harbour as Tom & Anne were departing on Tuesday for Atlanta.  We stayed in Marsh harbour until June 2nd and then left for Abaco Sound and a few other anchorages we hadn't been to. Without describing each anchorage they are all beautiful and worth a visit. We spent another week anchoring at various places, namely Tahiti Beach, White sound, Hopetown (outside the harbour). We needed to revisit hopetown to video the lighthouse view which we failed to do the first visit. We returned to Marsh Harbour on June 9th for our final visit on this trip. After a few days or R&R we were ready to leave again.

 

So on June 14th we departed for Lucaya, Grand Bahama. We made it 14 miles to Tilloo Cay and anchored. Tilloo Cay is the next cay south of Elbow Cay and runs for about 4 miles. Here we enjoyed snorkeling and even found a Helmut Conch. Of course a trip isn't complete without a little Barracuda scare! During our snorkeling event we pulled the dinghys to a beach and rested. As we were moving our dinghys out t deeper water to return to the boat a "fish" hit the water about 30 feet from us. A rather large fish! Just as suddenly a Barracuda flashed our way to within 10 or 15 feet. Since these guys move at the speed of light, so did we! Although he was only chasing smaller fish it was much to close to us for comfort. Needless to say, a couple of leaps and we were in the dinghy! This was a 3 to 3½ foot barracuda! That about did it for the day. We returned to the boat and prepared for rum toddies!

 

The next day we were headed for Little Harbour and Pete's Pub! Well, we made it into the Little Harbour entrance however as luck would have it ran aground. This was our fault for not reading the channel markers correctly. But, not problem, the tide was coming up and in an hour we were free and anchored, in 12 feet of water. The entrance claims 3½ feet at low water. We sounded the channel the following day and within two hours of low tide did not find less than 5½  feet of water.

 

Friday we went ashore around lunch time and visited Pete's Pub. There we dined with the finest, eating hamburger, cooked to a crisp with potato salad and corn chips. Prices were moderate at $6.00 for the food however a little steep for the coke at $3.00. We've purchased 12 packs in the states for $2.00. I know, "you're not in the states." Later we visited the gallery which has some beautiful art work by several artist including the local artist Randolf Johnston. Much of the art tended to be in cast bronze and was some of the best I've seen in years.

 

We left early Saturday morning for Lucaya. This was intended to be a two day trip, which it was. We sailed down the east coast of Great Abaco, around the southern tip and up to Gorda Cay. Some 5 or 10 miles before the bottom of  Great Abaco we hooked a fish. Things were going well for the first 30 seconds and then it kinda went slack. You'll have to see the video Maria took of the fish head when I  reeled it in. It would have been a nice 15 to 20 pound tuna. A shark bit it off behind the head. Yes, its on video. Continuing on, We arrived at Gorda Cay around 5:30 PM. As we approached a place on the North end of the Island to anchor, we were called by a trimaran which was dismasted. The lone sailor was seeking a tow into the anchorage as he was adrift with only an electric motor for power. We received a tow line from him and towed him into the anchorage. Later he came over to diner and we treated him to a beer. He was out of Fort Walton Beach, of all places. Gorda Cay was purchased (or leased) by Disney and officially renamed to "Castaway Island". The natives did not seem particularly friendly to our being there. I don't think they like sailor or any other boaters for that matter coming to "their" island. I must write Walt about this!

 

The next day we left early and motor sailed  to Lucaya. After anchoring overnight in the waterways we entered the Lucayan Marina Village and thus ended our Abacos cruise for 2000. Our daughters and four grandchildren joined us on Monday and will be with us until Saturday.

 

We will be returning to the states the end of June or first of July to St. Augustine, hopefully near the vineyards. We will be in Tallahassee / Crawfordville area for about three weeks in July. Hopefully we will be able to see some of you and have a few brewskies! So, until then…remember, if its gona happen, its gona happen out there!

"Captain Ron"

 

 

 

 

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[1] (T) Is degrees true based upon true north. True North is not the same as magnetic north but rather a theoretical north based on the Universal Transverse Mercator grid system, which defines latitudes and longitudes.

 

[2] (M) Is degrees magnetic. Magnetic North is slightly off from the defined True North Pole.

[3] Plan B always follows plan A in the schema of things but does not necessarily follow in the exact order it is designed. Always have a Plan B and if necessary Plan C, D, E…

[4] Cay is actually pronounced Key. The Florida Keys are actually misspelling of the word

[5] The Iron Genny is the term used to refer to the engine. A genny is a rather large fore sail used to help drive the boat under sail

[6] The staysail, pronounced stay'sl, is a small sail used in generally high winds. This is the second sail back from the headsail more commonly known as the jib.

[7] Stands for Bahamas Telephone Company